Safety top of mind after two kids hit by cars on way to Broomfield schools

Students were riding bikes when struck; accidents happened just days apart

HIGH FIVE FOR WALKING: Hannah Gutierrez gets a high five from Emerald Elementary School Principal Samara Williams Wednesday for participating in International Walk to School Day. The day celebrates alternative methods of getting to school and includes safety messages, which are top of mind after two children were hit by cars in the past week while riding their bikes to school.
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CLIFF GRASSMICK
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Two accidents in less than a week in which children were hit by cars as they rode their bikes to school have city officials and school districts urging pedestrians and drivers to use caution.

Two children were hit by cars just a few days apart while riding their bikes around 7:20 a.m. on a weekday. Both suffered non-life threatening injuries, but the accidents occurring within days of each other prompted the city to post safety tips on its home page and share them via Facebook and Twitter, and for parents to reconsider letting their children walk or bike to school alone.The first accident was Sept. 27, when an 8-year-old boy on his way to Centennial Elementary School was hit by a car near Westlake Middle School. The 17-year-old driver, who has been charged with careless driving resulting in bodily injury, was turning east onto 134th Place from Westlake Drive when he hit the boy.

The second accident happened Tuesday morning, when a 12-year-old girl was hurt after being hit by a car near the intersection of East Midway Boulevard and North Perry Street. The girl was riding her bicycle across Perry Street in the crosswalk. The accident is still under investigation and police have not yet stated if the driver will face charges. That accident happened just a block from a former school zone, that was removed last year by the city.

Police spokeswoman Joleen Reefe said it is the shared responsibility of pedestrians, drivers and cyclists to be aware of their surroundings, especially in school zones and during times of high traffic.

"Accidents like these remind us to stay aware," she said. "Make sure to make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street, and ... drivers should be aware when they are approaching schools and intersections."

Broomfield police will begin re-airing a video about crosswalk safety on Channel 8 and sending out other bike and pedestrian safety tips via e-mail and social media.

Yet some parents said awareness campaigns are not enough. Parent Cynthia Ophaug-Johansen said she will not allow her son, a fifth-grader, to walk to Mountain View Elementary, because his route crosses Midway Boulevard.

"You wouldn't believe the number of near-accidents I see," she said.

East Midway between Vrain and Wolf streets used to include a reduced-speed school zone, but the school zone was removed last year and replaced with a flashing-light crosswalk. Tom Shomer, city traffic engineer, said Broomfield decided to take out the school zone, because an average of just two children used it each day.

"We took a poll of the neighborhood, and they suggested we take it out," he said.

Ophaug-Johansen said the move was a bad idea, and that more school zones would help convince her it is safe for her son to cross the street alone. She drives him to school in the morning, and allows him to walk home, because there is less traffic in the mid-afternoon.

After the accident that injured the 12-year-old girl happened a block outside the former school zone, Ophaug-Johansen said some parents have told her they will start driving their kids, too.

Meanwhile, schools said they are doing their part to keep kids aware of potential dangers when walking to school is the only option.Boulder Valley School District on Wednesday participated in Walk to School Day, which celebrates alternative methods of getting to school.

Though the event mainly focuses on a mix of healthy habits and exercise, schools also included important safety messages.

"Teaching students from a young age about the importance of crosswalk safety goes a long way in improving pedestrian, cyclist and driver interactions," Marni Ratzel, the district's bike and pedestrian transportation planner, said in a statement.

Emerald Elementary School was among the schools that participated in Walk to School Day. Principal Samara Williams said safety is an important message of the event, but added the school has encouraged safe walking and biking habits from day one.

"We try to meet with all our walkers and let them know it's important to cross where there is a crosswalk," she said.

Starting this year, Emerald also has rounded up more parents and staff to volunteer as crossing guards.

This year, Williams said the school also redesigned its bus and car parking to avoid congestion and the potential for accidents. Buses now drop off children on the west side of the building, while the "hug and go" drop-off zone for parents is in front of the building.

Children in Adams 12 school district participate in their own walk and bike events. Schools such as Coyote Ridge, Mountain View and Centennial Elementary schools take part in a two-day bicycle and pedestrian class and a bicycle training course conducted by Bicycle Colorado. The class is connected with Walkin' and Wheelin' Week, which encourages children to walk or ride their bikes to school.

Coyote Ridge went through the two-day class and training course last week, and the school's Walkin' and Wheelin' Week is scheduled Oct. 15-19, said Adams 12 spokesman Joe Ferdani.

Ferdani said the district continues the safety program through a Safe Routes to School grant. The district has used the grant since the 2009-10 school year.

Physical education teachers also pitch in with awareness by teaching bike and pedestrian classes. Later this year, the district will begin using a fleet of about 12 bikes designed for elementary-aged children to support bicycle and pedestrian skills. The bike fleet will rotate among 18 elementary schools throughout the school year, Ferdani said.

Ferdani said the partnerships between the school district, parents, law enforcement and local organizations is key in providing the best safety options.

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